Criminal, Pathetic, Unconscionable, Leaving our Heroes Vulnerable

Now that the emotions of the day have somewhat subsided after the shooting at Ft. Hood, lets use some reasoning and have a response that makes sense. Obama came to the largest active duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Services to offer his condolences to the families of the victims and to the fellow soldiers that survived the attack. Home to two full divisions, 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized). He did the same after the terrorist attack in 2009 and directed the DoD to implement measures to prevent such incidents from happening again. And as we have once again have experienced these measures failed to prevent yet another tragedy from happening once more.

What did the DoD put in place as a deterrent against attacks on our personnel assigned to military installations?

The DoD placed MORE restrictions on carrying a weapon on military installations.

The DoD issued installation security personnel long barreled (rifles) weapons. That way security personnel would have the ability to engage an active shooter at distances greater than they could with pistols.

The DoD required that installations strengthen ties with the local community Law Enforcement officials.

The DoD then joined with the FBI to share information on terrorist suspects in an attempt to find active shooter before they become “active”. (We can all see how well that has been working out…as we come up on the anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. The Feds have reported that the FBI still doesn’t adequately share information with local law enforcement officials.)

And finally the DoD implemented security training for all installation personnel focused on insider attack scenarios.

It is the last initiative that really “grinds my gears”. The training given to installation personnel you would expect to be useful in a active shooter situation. You would expect that there would be some sort of weapons training for personnel or the construction of large safe rooms that personnel could retreat to in the event of an active shooter scenario. No those things are not what the DoD came up with. And what they did come up with is in a word….insulting.

Yes have a plan. And if you use what is directed here you will have a strategy to survive an active shooter situation. Hmmm….Well that is if you are lucky enough to see the shooter before he or she sees you. Understand that it takes TIME for security personnel to arrive at the scene of these attacks. And in that time the person doing the attacking has unfettered access to our Nation’s civilian and military personnel who are sitting ducks.

When the best that the DoD can come up with is to train our “Armed Forces” personnel to run, hide, play dead or swarm the intruder, with the deadly weapon, with office supplies….well that doesn’t quite fit the bill now does it?

Bottom line stricter background checks and more timely medical screening will not prevent future shooting incidents at “Gun Free” zones. And face the facts, our military installations are “Gun Free” zones.

Those that say our returning service members can’t be trusted with weapons on base are just plain wrong. Not ALL returning service members have mental instability issues. And not all that have issues will or are unstable enough to commit acts of violence against their fellow service members.

The city of Chicago registered more homicides than any city in the nation in 2012, surpassing even New York — despite the fact that the Second City has only one third as many residents as the Big Apple.

In new crime statistics released Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 500 murders in Chicago in 2012, up sharply from the 431 recorded in 2011. New York reported 419 murders last year, compared with 515 in 2011.

On September 12, 2013, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled a law passed in Illinois which effectively banned carrying a loaded weapon violated the Second Amendment and struck it down. In January, the Illinois State Police began issuing concealed carry licenses.

And then the anti-gun, pro “Gun Free” zone advocates cry out there will be gun violence all over as everybody will have a gun.

But other city officials aren’t so assured. Superintendent Garry McCarthy calls a requirement that people go through only 16 hours of training before they are issued a concealed carry permit “woefully inadequate” because about the only thing people can learn in that time is how to “point and fire a weapon” and not when they can legally do so.

Our officers receive six months of training in the police academy and then three months on the streets and at the end of the day we make mistakes frequently,” he said.

Another concern by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is the provision in the bill that calls for law enforcement and prosecutors to object to a governor-appointed panel if they suspect applicants are dangerous. In Cook County, where there are 358,000 registered gun owners, Dart said he’s worried gang members and others who shouldn’t have guns will slip through the cracks and be granted permits.

When new crime statistics were released covering the first quarter of 2014 an amazing thing happened…

Chicago’s first-quarter murder total this year hit its lowest number since 1958, police say.

The first three months of the year saw 6 fewer murders than the same time frame in 2013–a 9 percent drop–and 55 fewer murders than 2012, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

So if the people of Chicago can somehow manage to not shoot each other, with minimal training, imagine what our service men and woman can do as they receive initial weapons training upon entering the service and then subsequent weapons training throughout their careers.

Our Nation’s service men and women’s 2nd Amendment right to keep and BEAR arms should not stop at the front gate of the base to which they are assigned.

Bottom line here is our Nation’s Armed Forces personnel should be allowed to arm themselves while they are at their duty locations throughout the World and most certainly while they are at their duty stations here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

It is time to make our military installations “Well Armed Zones” and allow our heroes to defend themselves with something other than office equipment.

Wayne Dupree is owner and founder of WayneDupree.com. He was named to the 2017 Newsmax’s 50 Most Influential African-American Republicans. He served in the USAF between 1987-1995. He saw time in Operation Desert Storm/Shield and is the father of three. He is the host of the Wayne Dupree Show.

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